The Gates of the Pokemon League

I worked my way north through the icey wastes of Route 10 and I swear the very same Mr. Mime chased me the entire way. Just as soon as I thought I had escaped, I would round a corner and he is already chasing me. I ended a trainer battle: Mr. Mime. Picked up an item: Mr. Mime. Turned the game on: Already a Mr. Mime there. Wake up at night to get a drink of water: Mr. Mime is inside my house in the closet and I'm still in my nightmare.

I finally made it to Wyndon City which is definitely not London, so stop saying so. The giant Ferris Wheel and Clock Tower are design coincidences.

I stopped and consodered where I was and what comes next. The next item on my list is to work my way through the Gym Champions Tournament. After that, I could finally steal Leon's title and give him his first loss. He's a sympathetically written character and I am prone to empathizing with NPCs, but this is one victory that I am looking forward to.

I have a new view on Dynamax as well. I finally understand the mechanics: I can see that the boosts and debuffs and  weather effects that Dynamax gives are the key to success--less the damage aspect.

Now the question is who to bring with me. My party in its totality includes all of the following:

1. Rillaboom/Cheeto
2. Drednaw/Snorkle
3. Corviknight/Chirpy
4. Bewear/Kitiguma
5. Centiscorch/Eurypyro
6. Golisopod/Guzma
7. Copperaja/Mme.Trunks
8. Thievul/Señor Zorro
9. Salazzle/Dazzle
10. Obstagoon/Trash

Leaving any of them behind would be sad, but I have to consider only six. Cheeto is obvious and so is Drednaw. For power, I want Bewear and Copperaja. I need Trash to be there as my revenge killer. And my final slot comes down to a coin flip. I decided to go with Centiscorch in the end to round out my Fire/Water/Grass core. Plus, the rest of my team is Fighting Weak, so having a bug type in that slot gives me a key resistance. 

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I bought some new digs and made my way to the stadium. No matter what comes next, I am content in knowing that I had a wonderful and exciting journey through the Galar region--and a grown appreciation for the real-world creatures that are the inspiration for the creatures that I have experienced in this game.

Time to take the Championship.